Mr Cabbie enjoys the ‘hire’ ground on autogas LPG

It is the green credentials, as much as the money saving aspect, which persuaded private hire vehicle company Mr Cabbie, run by husband and wife team Geoff and Lin Cook, that autogas LPG is the fuel for them.Partly specialising in hospital runs and transporting children with special needs, the green benefits of LPG sit perfectly with the company’s approach as a caring firm, where a professional service goes hand-in-hand with a personal touch.

And Geoff has more knowledge than most when it comes to extolling the virtues of LPG as he was previously an engineer working for a company contracted to Calor, which is a joint partner with Shell in forming Autogas Limited.

His first experience of driving an LPG powered car was back in the seventies but it was then another 20 years or so when he bought a Rover Sterling that he returned to the cheaper and cleaner fuel and hasn’t looked back since.

Now Mr Cabbie’s fleet based in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex includes a Saab 9-5 and a Citroen C5, which were both converted to run on LPG by Gastech LPG Conversions in Stambridge, and which are also used for airport transfers and sea port runs.

“LPG is environmentally better than petrol or diesel in many ways. The engine produces less CO2 emissions and fewer harmful emissions that impact on local air quality. This ticks all the right boxes as far as our local hackney carriage officer is concerned.

“As a by-product, it’s recycled from left over elements of crude oil and gas separation techniques used to make petrol and diesel. All these reasons and more make it the fuel of choice for Mr Cabbie,” said Geoff.

And it would appear that more and more motorists are also putting the environment, as well as the financial benefits, at the top of the agenda in their choice of fuel. In 2011 alone, more than 12,000 vehicles in the UK were converted to run on LPG, bringing the total figure up to an estimated 165,000.

Independent tests confirm that LPG produces 17 per cent less carbon dioxide than petrol, and 50 per cent less oxides of nitrogen than petrol and twenty times less than diesel.

However, the good news continues outside the environmental arena as LPG users typically enjoy annual savings of up to 40 per cent in fuel costs.

Paul Oxford, business development manager, Autogas Limited, said: “Mr Cabbie typifies our customers who appreciate that they can help the environment while also saving money.

“You really don’t need to go to extreme lengths, such as buying a hybrid vehicle or an electric car, to do your bit for the planet when an LPG conversion can reduce your CO2 emissions.”

The cost of autogas LPG, unleaded and diesel fuels per litre displayed and used throughout this website is the UK average taken from petrolprices.com. Please note that the savings calculator is provided as a guide. Actual cost implications should be discussed with the converter/manufacturer of your specific vehicle.